A force is an interaction between bodies that can change the motion of an object. Forces can cause acceleration. A force is a push or a pull.
Types of forces
There are many different types of forces that act in everyday life. These are the important ones:
Weight (the pull of gravity). Weight = mass × acceleration of free fall (W = mg).
Friction, which is a force that acts when two rough surfaces rub each other (think of rubbing two pieces of cloth together). Friction always acts in the opposite direction of motion. If you move left, friction will act right.
Drag, which is a force that opposes the motion of an object through a fluid (like air or water).
Tension, which is a pulling force in a string.
Upthrust, which is an upward force exerted by a fluid. It is very low (often negligible) for objects in the air but significant for objects in water. Upthrust is what enables you to float in water when swimming.
Contact forces, which are the forces that occur when objects are in contact with each other. Examples include the force of the floor on your feet or the force of your feet on the floor.
Newton's First Law
Newton's First Law of Motion states that an object will remain at rest or in a state of uniform motion (constant speed in a straight line) unless acted upon by an external force.
This is known as inertia - the tendency of an object to maintain its state of motion. If nothing is done to an object, it will either stay still or move at a constant speed. It won't randomly accelerate or decelerate.
The higher the mass, the higher the inertia. In other words, the heavier an object is, the harder it will be to change its motion.
This is why it is easier to push a sponge than to push a brick. The sponge has a smaller mass and therefore has a smaller inertia, making it easier to change its state of motion from stationary to moving.
Newton's Second Law
Newton's Second Law of Motion states that the acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the resultant force applied to it, and inversely proportional to the body's mass.
This can be expressed as F = ma where F is the resultant force, m is mass, and a is acceleration.
An alternative version of Newton’s Second Law is that force is proportional to the rate of change of momentum.
Newton's Second Law Example
First, we must find the resultant force, R. R=F-D R=3000 - 1000 = 2000N
Rearrange F=ma to get the acceleration of the car from the force and the mass. $$\begin{align*} F &= ma \\ a &= \frac{F}{m} \\ a &= \frac{2000}{1000} = 3 \, \text{ms}^{-1} \end{align*}$$
Newton's Third Law
Newton's Third Law of Motion states that when two objects interact, each exerts a force on the other. These forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
This is why you feel pain when you punch a wall. The force of your fist on the wall is met by a force of equal magnitude by the wall on your fist, making your fist hurt.
Another example is gravity. The gravitational force of the Earth pulling on the Moon is equal to the gravitational force of the Moon pulling on the Earth. Because the forces cancel out, the Moon and the Earth don't accelerate in a straight line towards each other.